


Broadening Horizons

by azumilk



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Bad Flirting, F/M, First Meetings, Flirting, makotoniijimaweek2018, please teach them how to flirt, shumako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 12:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16063598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azumilk/pseuds/azumilk
Summary: Makoto Niijima wanders into Shinjuku to get her mind off of things but the charming (and nosy) bartender at The Crossroads has other plans.For Makoto Niijima Week 2018.





	Broadening Horizons

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** Day 2: Broadening horizons

With her back straight and her gaze steely, Makoto Niijima took a deep breath before steadily making her way inside _The Crossroads_.

 

It was not like her to go to smoky and shady places — especially one located at the heart of Shinjuku’s red light district — but she also did not expect that this bar would be _this_ smoky and shady. Maybe she should have gone to the place Sae usually went to. Maybe she should have called Goro or Ann.

 

No, she berated herself silently. The reason she chose to enter this smoky and shady place was because she wanted to be alone. The last fight with Sae made her realize that she indeed needed to loosen up.

 

“ _All you do is eat away at my life_ ,” the older Niijima had told her.

 

Fine.

 

Makoto knew that the words were not meant to hurt her feelings. She knew her sister said it because she was concerned. But it was still painful. It still felt like she was not needed anymore.

 

She sat herself down and gingerly rested her chin on her hands. She told herself that she would try to start getting the life Sae and everyone else wanted her to have tonight but in reality, she knew she was just escaping and behaving like a rebellious child.

 

So much for being an adult. Guess graduating from university and getting a job was not as life-changing as everybody else made it out to be.

 

The person behind the bar set her drink down with a quiet thud. She looked up and saw a man with dark mischievous eyes and a mop of messy hair. He wore a lazy yet confident smile, which made her wonder if men who worked in smoky and shady bars were supposed to look charming.

 

Nevertheless, Makoto decided that this was not the time to ogle strangers. She turned away, ready to spend the rest of the evening preoccupied with her own thoughts.

 

Mister Bartender, however, tried to start a conversation the third time he poured her a drink. “You sure you’re in the right place?”

 

It took a while before she realized that the question is directed to her.

 

“Why would I not be?” Makoto answered almost instantly, sounding defensive even when she wanted to sound disinterested. Admittedly, that did not come out quite right.

 

She discreetly peered at him over her drink. The small tag pinned to his uniform told her his name was Akira.

 

“Akira” elegantly played with a shot glass with his hands. How can a man have such beautiful fingers? Why even was she wondering about that?

 

“Nothing. Just thought staying in a place like this is not the best way to escape a sad night,” Akira — no, Mister Bartender — replied, shaking her out of her questionable thoughts.

 

The night was sad all right, she agreed miserably, but that was none of his concern. Aloud, she said, “Wouldn’t want to put you out of business.”

 

The bartender guy cocked his head to the busy crowd behind her. “Wouldn’t make much of a difference.”

 

Rolling her eyes, she decided to play along, “Where should I go then?”

 

“Coffee shops, libraries, whatever quaint places proper ladies like you usually go to.”

 

“I’m not a proper lady,” she replied indignantly, making Akira ( _“The nosy bartender!_ ” she corrected herself) laugh out loud. Okay. That did not come out right either. She desperately wished for the earth to swallow her whole.

 

He gave her a once over and smirked. “Could have fooled me.”

 

Makoto huffed, embarrassment now replaced by a sudden burst of competitiveness. She was not used to this place but that did not mean she was not used to drinking. So much for finally getting away from people telling her what to do.

 

“Is this how you usually talk to customers?”

 

“Who said this conversation is between a bartender and a customer?”

 

“Then… is this how you pick your prospects?”

 

She swore she saw his lips curve into a sly smile. “I don’t know where you got that idea.”

 

“So what is the big idea, Mister Bartender?” she asked, motioning for another round.

 

He set her drink in front her before crossing his arms. When she merely gave him a look that demanded for explanation, he continued, “You broke up with your boyfriend or had a fight with an idiot. You went here because you wanted to prove to yourself you don’t need them.”

 

His effortless yet spot on judgment made her grip her glass tighter. Was she really that obvious?

 

She kept the nonchalant act.

 

“And so what if I did?”

 

“You’ll have to deal with people like me.” He leaned down so they could be at eye level, the strands of his curly hair slightly brushing against her own bangs.

 

Makoto stubbornly held her ground. Truth be told, she expected him to smell like smoke and alcohol and puke but he smells surprisingly clean. Nice even.

 

He leaned closer to whisper to her ear: “Good girls shouldn’t wander into these places.”

 

She tilted her head to meet his gaze with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not a good girl.” Again, the reply sounded sillier aloud.

 

They held each other’s gazes, with Makoto trying and failing not to blush at the close contact while secretly cursing him for having such long eyelashes. Akira (since when did she start calling him that?) himself had thrown all pretense of subtlety out the window, eyes flicking to her lips in a silent challenge.

 

They hovered for a while, both daring the other to break eye contact. His breath was hot against her skin. All it would take was for either of them to close the gap.

 

Just when she thought he’d finally initiate, he slowly pulled away.

 

Makoto tried to look composed — at least she wanted to look more composed than Mister Bartender, who was now twirling his hair in between his long fingers, flustered and lost in his own thoughts. It would have been the perfect time to tell him to mind his own business.

 

Instead, she signaled for him to give her something stronger. “Where do you suggest I go?” she asked again, genuinely interested to listen to him this time.

 

“Depends where you allow yourself to be taken,” came his reply, lips tugging upwards in a smirk.

 

She emptied the content of her drink in one shot, liking the challenge in his eyes.

 

Who knew smoky and shady bars could be interesting?

**Author's Note:**

> For Makoto Niijima Week 2018. I was not planning to join but the people in the server can be quite persuasive. This is for everyone in it.


End file.
